


Between Sisters

by Pidge



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-13 22:34:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1243018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pidge/pseuds/Pidge





	Between Sisters

Jordan and Sara sat on Rachel’s bed. Only the desk lamp lit the room. Rachel stood near the door, listening carefully to their parents fighting. Jordan looked down at the carpet, tears in her eyes, while Sara’s tears flowed freely down her cheeks. 

Rachel turned away from the door and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the bed in between the two young girls. Rachel wrapped one arm around Jordan’s shoulder and wiped Sara’s tears away with her free hand.

Rachel was the strong one.

 

***

 

Jordan sat on the edge of the bathtub, watching Rachel as she curled her hair. Rachel wouldn’t say but Jordan was sure there was a boy she liked. That was why her sister was doing something more than usual.

Rachel caught her little sister staring and turned around, “Do you want me curl your hair?” 

"Yes!" Jordan said, excitedly. She jumped up and walked over to the mirror and looked at her reflection. She made a face at herself. 

Rachel laughed and brushed her hands through Jordan’s hair. She took hold of a section and wrapped it around the curling iron.

Jordan grinned. She loved her sister. Even though she bugged her sometimes. She watched her sister as she effortlessly curled her hair. Rachel made everything look effortless. She always seemed to be in control.

Lately, though, Jordan had noticed something in Rachel’s eyes. It was a strange mix of freedom and fear that Jordan couldn’t understand. It wasn’t there right now. Right now, Rachel looked happy.

"So who’s the boy?" Jordan asked.  _Don’t let it be Marco,_  she added silently.

Rachel smiled, looked down at her sister, and shook her head. “What makes you think there is a boy?”

"You have that fuzzy look in your eyes." Jordan said. Rachel looked up into the mirror and Jordan followed her gaze. The two were opposites in every way. "You look sleepy in a good way."

"Promise you won’t tell anyone?" 

 "I promise," Jordan always kept Rachel’s secrets. 

"His name is Tobias." Rachel said as she continued curling Jordan’s hair. She talked more about this boy and what made him special. These two sisters talked and laughed more.

 

***

 

Rachel and Jordan laid on the grass in the backyard, staring up at the stars. It was a chilly but clear night. The sky seemed like it had exploded in glitter.

"Do you think there are aliens?" Jordan asked.

Rachel didn’t say anything for a long time. Jordan started to wonder if her voice had been too quiet. But it was hard not to whisper when looking at the stars.

Finally, Rachel spoke, “I think there are amazing, frightening, mind-blowing things. Here. And out there.”

Jordan smiled. “Me too.”

 

***

 

It was a Saturday night. Rachel had been out with her friends more and more lately. She didn’t talk to Jordan as much anymore. But Rachel had promised Jordan this movie night.  

The movie was ready to play and Rachel brought in the mugs filled with root beer and vanilla ice cream. She smiled, a tired smile, and sat down on the couch next to her little sister. She handed Jordan one of the floats and sat back.

"I hope it isn’t too boring for you," Jordan said as she pressed play.

Rachel looked over at her sister, “These days, I prefer boring.”

 

***

 

Jordan was in the woods, a little ways from the camp. She was tired. She hadn’t been sleeping well, always worried about some attack, afraid her sister might not come back from another mission. She was annoyed with Sara following her around so much. Like a lost little puppy. Her mother was focused on everything else, but that wasn’t much different from usual. 

Jordan wasn’t sure where her dad even was. Rachel had said he would find them but it had been a while and he wasn’t here. She had promised.

Jordan gripped the stick in her hand and hit it against the trunk of the tree. She could fight. She would fight.

She thought of her friends at school. She thought of her gymnastics team. She didn’t even like gymnastics, she had only joined in hopes of becoming close with Rachel again.

But now Jordan knew why they had grown apart. 

Jordan stabbed the trunk with the stick in anger. The trunk did more damage to the stick. The stick was too fragile to do any real damage. 

"Jordan?" 

Jordan turned around and saw Rachel. Her sister was wearing her black leotard. Rachel didn’t bother to put on her regular clothes very often these days. She was always wearing the black leotard.

Jordan hated that black leotard.

"Jordan," Rachel walked closer. "I need to talk to you. I need to tell you something. But you have to promise you won’t tell anyone. 

Jordan dropped the stick to the ground and nodded. Her heart felt heavy and slow. Her lungs seemed to stop working. She was scared of what her sister might tell her.

"I have a job to do." Rachel paused. It was a long pause. "You are the best sister ever. You are such an amazing person."

Jordan felt tears burning at her eyes. Why was Rachel saying these things? 

But Rachel didn’t stop, “You are so independent, so kind, so caring. You can’t ever lose that. Please promise you won’t ever lose that.”

"Rachel…" Jordan started. 

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"I have a responsibility. It’s something only I can do." Rachel looked up towards the sky. The sun was just starting to go down. Streaks of pink broke through the forest. "I want you to look out for Jake after it all ends."

Jordan nodded. Her words were stuck. 

Rachel looked back down at her sister. There were tears in her eyes. That frightened Jordan more than anything. “I want you to take care of mom and Sara. They will need you more than ever. And I want you to be happy.”

"I don’t understand." Jordan whispered.

Rachel took a couple steps over the small distance between the two sisters. She wrapped her arm around Jordan’s shoulder and pulled her into a hug. “I love you so much. But I have a job. And it will be my last one. I am so scared though. I don’t want it to end.” 

Rachel’s voice came out in sobs now, matching her sister’s muffled cries, “I want to see you grow up. I want to be able to try normal. I don’t want to miss anything. I don’t want to die.”

Rachel and Jordan stood in the embrace, not wanting to leave that last moment with each other. The sunset became more vibrant as time passed, the two sisters not daring to move. Rachel was the first to speak, “Promise me you won’t say anything.” 

"I promise." Jordan cried into her sister.

Jordan always kept her sister’s secrets. 

 

***

 

It was a beautiful day out. Clear sunny skies with the salty breeze from the ocean behind them. The crowd gathered on lush grass with immaculate landscaping all around.

It was the day everyone would mourn Jordan’s sister.

There were uniforms everywhere. The president was there, looking solemn. There were so many important-looking people that didn’t even matter.

The only one that mattered was Rachel.

Jordan felt an anger at the thought of never seeing her big sister again. What was she going to do without Rachel?

To one side of her was her mother and to the other side was Sara. Both were crying. Jordan had already cried for Rachel’s death. But she kept that memory buried in silence. It was her promise to keep.

Jordan wrapped one arm around Sara’s shoulder and pulled her a little closer, just like Rachel would do so often.

It was Jordan’s turn to be the strong one.


End file.
